


Blending In

by PurpleFairy84



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar, M/M, Romance, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 14:12:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1032627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleFairy84/pseuds/PurpleFairy84
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock and John go undercover for a case... forcing them in to a situation where they can't deny their feelings any more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blending In

“John… please tell me you’re not serious.” Sherlock sighed from the comfort of his armchair.  
“Ummm… What are you wearing?” John asked as he turned and saw his companion’s attire.  
“What are YOU wearing John?” Sherlock explained slowly, as if speaking to a child. “This is an undercover mission, you need to blend in. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb in that!”  
John, for his part, was fairly perplexed, seeing nothing strange about his clothes. He stood for a few moments flapping his arms about exasperatedly “I am NOT wearing THAT!” he pointed at Sherlock’s outfit.  
His housemate jumped up and took hold of John’s shoulders “We need proof of Julian Sheer’s infidelity to make this case work. Therefore we must observe him in a place that he feels comfortable, WITHOUT being spotted.”  
John was only half listening to Sherlock, instead staring at the man in front of him wearing a very tight white t-shirt and skinny jeans.  
“John, you’ve never actually been to a gay bar have you?”  
“Err… no! Why would I?”  
“Well you are today and I need you to look more the part. So follow me and I will find something suitable from your wardrobe.” Sherlock started striding to the stairs.  
“Wait! You’re really not going to find anything suitable in my wardrobe…”  
“Fine” Sherlock smiled broadly “let’s go shopping!”  
The doctor groaned in protest as Sherlock dragged him out of 221b Baker Street.

 

John led the way in to one of London’s most hip gay night clubs and head straight for the bar. To say he was feeling self-conscious was an understatement, Sherlock had dressed him in a very similar way to himself and it didn’t leave much to the imagination.  
He looked to Sherlock for a drinks order but a shake of his head reminded John that the consulting detective would never drink while on a case. Well that didn’t mean he couldn’t drink!  
While John ordered a nice cold beverage from the bar, Sherlock took a moment to survey the scene. He was very anxious not to be caught by Julian, whom he wanted to find in a very compromising position this evening. Not seeing the object of his mission, he took a seat next to John at the bar.  
“Cheers!” John raised his glass to his friend and took a sip.  
“According to our source, Julian usually arrives at about 11pm and takes a certain booth in the corner at the back of the bar, next to a cigarette machine.” Sherlock relayed to John.  
John checked his watch “That’s in about… 20 minutes.”  
Sherlock jumped up without warning and strode off, leaving John quickly scrambling to follow him.

“Nice bar Sherlock, very relaxed, shame about the music…” John winced as an S Club medley began to play.  
“Otherwise a good venue for a drink…” he tailed off as he realised Sherlock wasn’t listening but intently observing everything around him.  
The doctor sighed… often his conversations with Sherlock were completely one-sided and here he was… on a Saturday night… in a gay bar… with his eccentric companion. How did his life lead him here?  
“We don’t want to sit too close to Julian’s table but we also want to be able to observe him easily…” Sherlock mused, making John jump and almost spill his drink.  
The detective looked around from his superior height.  
“Ah! There we are.”  
John followed obediently to the booth Sherlock had selected. He felt more comfortable sitting behind a table in a secluded booth and began to relax, scanning the crowd for the unfaithful Julian.  
11pm came…  
11:15…  
11:30… 

John was just starting to think that maybe this Julian wasn’t going to put in a show this evening, when Sherlock suddenly stiffened.  
“What is it? Can you see him Sherlock?”  
“Shit!”  
“What?”  
“He’s coming this way” Sherlock looked as panicked as he ever looked. He turned to John to hide his face from the orange glow that was Julian Sheer winding his way towards his booth, taking a path that would go right past them. “We can’t be seen. We’ll never get the proof we need if we’re seen.”  
“Just relax.” John reassured “He’s not expecting to see us here, just hide your face from view. Like you said, we’ll hopefully blend in and he won’t notice us.”  
“That’s it!” Sherlock face showed he’d had one of his eureka moments. “We need to blend in more!”  
“John… kiss me.” He said very calmly, like he was asking John to pass the salt.  
“Woah!” Shouted John “This isn’t what I signed up for this evening. There’s blending in and then there’s…. blending in!”  
Sherlock spoke very quickly “John we don’t have much time. He won’t look twice at us if we’re kissing, no-one stares at people kissing. Just do it.”  
“No way!” John started leaning away from him.  
Sherlock leaned forwards in to John’s space and whispered in a low voice “Look, he’s fast approaching. I NEED your help here, I don’t exactly have a lot of experience to draw on. Just get on with it before he sees us!”  
Sherlock’s face was mere centimetres from his own, his piercing blue eyes staring him down.  
“Or is there a good reason all your dates leave you so quickly?” he continued.  


Fine! John thought… I’ll bloody show him…  
He grabbed Sherlock’s head and pulled him down for a crushing kiss. John worked Sherlock’s mouth expertly, drawing an unintentional moan from the inexperienced detective, who was at that moment gripping John’s t-shirt at the shoulders and leaning heavily on him.  
After a few seconds John relaxed his hold and kissed Sherlock more softly, running his hands through those luscious dark curls. He teased Sherlock now, kissing him lightly and running his tongue along his lips, making Sherlock chase him, trying to deepen the kiss again.  
Sherlock’s arms slid down and around John’s waist, holding on to the top of his jeans. He was becoming impatient with the butterfly kisses and was almost lying on top of John in his attempt to kiss him more deeply.  
Finally John relented and opened his mouth to his best friend, plunging his tongue in and kissing Sherlock thoroughly and passionately. That’s when it hit John like a ton of bricks… he was REALLY enjoying this.  
John pulled back abruptly, leaving a gasping and shocked Sherlock staring intently at him, unmistakable desire written across his face. John looked away, unable to take the uncharacteristically open and emotional face of his friend and tried to bring his breathing and heart rate back down. What the hell was going on? He felt… aroused… but… he’s not gay! 

John looked around at the people chatting and flirting in the bar. He didn’t think he found any of the men appealing in any way. So why did he feel like this with Sherlock? Confusion marred his features as he tried to get his emotions and thoughts under control while avoiding the stare of his companion.  
Sherlock’s mind however felt strangely fuzzy. He hadn’t expected John to do that. Yes he wanted John to kiss him to make sure they weren’t seen, but he hadn’t anticipated the kiss going any further than a platonic touch of their lips. Sherlock had never been kissed like that, nor had he enjoyed kissing anyone like that. That fact he was painfully aware of as his arousal pushed against his tight jeans. For once, he was at a loss as to what he should do next. Should he try to kiss John again, just to make sure his suspicions about his feelings were right? No, wait… he was sure he was in this bar for a very good reason… oh yes! A case! He needed to spy on Julian.  
John was doing a good impression of ignoring him right now, so Sherlock whizzed round in his seat and tried to locate the cheating Julian. He looked to his right and saw the ridiculous tan of the man in question, glowing from his booth next to the cigarette machine. 

Sherlock grabbed the camera out of his coat pocket and set it on the table, ready to snap some incriminating pictures should Julian receive any visitors in his booth. He was still having trouble concentrating. He felt so aroused and was not accustomed to being in this state. He found himself wanting to touch John again, be near to him, he definitely wanted to kiss him again.  
Sherlock turned back to John and their eyes locked, thoughts of the case in hand flying out of the proverbial window. He looked to John’s eyes, his lips and back up to his eyes again… he felt his pulse quicken once more, finding himself under the same scrutiny from his friend.  
“Sherlock … I … er…” John attempted communication but seemed unable to say what he wanted to say.  
Sherlock could understand that, he really didn’t know what to say either. They stared at each other awkwardly, not knowing how to proceed, until John broke the silence once more.  
“Um… that was unexpected.”  
“Yes” Sherlock replied simply.  
John decided to make light of the situation. “You’re a lot better at kissing than you give yourself credit for you know.” He took a swig from his beer to stall the conversation.  
“I really haven’t had much practice.” Sherlock replied softly. “It’s not really my area… kissing… sentiment.” He frowned as he said the last word. Sentiment certainly wasn’t something he indulged in, so what was he doing right now? All sentiment does is distract you from the case, the game. It leaves you vulnerable to other people’s emotions, makes you dependent on them. No, no, no… this wasn’t happening, this wasn’t something he would entertain.  
Sherlock realised he was dangerously close to revealing his emotions to John and that would put him in a precarious situation… what if John didn’t feel the same way? Wait… what if he did? That last thought scared Sherlock. He’d never trusted anyone enough to become intimate with them.  
He’d better get out of there.

Sherlock grabbed his coat and stood abruptly, tying his blue scarf around his neck and made his way towards the door as quickly as he could, not daring to turn back and see the look on John’s face. He would be annoyed or hurt no doubt, but it was better this way.  
John was half relieved and half hurt by his best friend’s actions. Relieved because he didn’t have to work out what he was going to say immediately. Hurt because the man he had just realised he had feelings for, was apparently so horrified by the kiss they had just shared that he felt the need to escape… at high speed.  
The doctor cast his mind back to the last thing Sherlock said before he kissed him ‘Or is there a good reason all your dates leave you so quickly?’  
John sighed sadly and stared at his drink… evidently there was.

When John got back to 221B Baker Street, it was 12:30am and Sherlock was up playing a maudlin tune on his violin. He was out of his clubbing clothes and in in his usual pyjamas and dressing gown combo.  
He didn’t turn around as John entered the flat which was just fine by the doctor. He felt so tired, dejected and most of all confused. He just wanted a cup of tea and his bed. Turning to the kitchen, John busied himself making a hot drink. He had already made a tea for himself and a coffee for Sherlock before he realised what he’d done.  
Not wanting to waste the coffee, John padded in to the living room and set the mug down near Sherlock and began walking towards the stairs with his own drink.  
The violin stopped abruptly “Wait… John”.  
Sherlock had spoken so quietly, it was most unlike him. Something in the tone of his voice made John stop and turn to his flat mate.  
Sherlock stood there silently holding his violin, his tall, slim frame silhouetted by the moonlight shining through the window.  
John decided to wait and see what Sherlock would say before exposing his own feelings.  
Eventually Sherlock seemed to snap out of the trance he was in and put the violin down to rest. He picked up the coffee and walked to the sofa. “Thanks for this...” he nodded to his drink “I think I need it.”  
“Come sit with me for a moment John, I think I need to say a few things.”

John sighed deeply, avoiding Sherlock’s gaze, staring in to his mug.  
He made his way towards the sofa and sat down, turning his body towards his friend for the inevitable ‘chat’.  
“John, I love my work” Sherlock began. “It invigorates me, it makes me feel alive and I’ve always focussed on the work. Sentiment is something that I’ve never tolerated or indulged in myself…”  
“Just wait a minute Sherlock!” John interrupted loudly. “I don’t think I was the only one kissing back there. You kissed me back… you had your arms around me! Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it too.”  
Then John witnessed something he’d never seen from Sherlock, his friend blushed and looked at the coffee in his hands.  
“I realise you’re going to tell me that we shouldn’t have kissed like that and you don’t think of me that way and you don’t do ‘sentiment’…” John took a deep breath and released it slowly, placing his cup on the floor.  
“And it’s fine Sherlock. We did what we did in order to stay undercover and … I just hope this won’t affect our friendship because it’s very important to me… you’re very important to me.”

John searched Sherlock’s face to gauge his friend’s reaction. He appeared to be listening intently, with (as usual) no emotion on his face.  
“But if you think that this changes things and you’d rather I moved out…”  
“Don’t you dare.” Sherlock’s deep voice interrupted. “Don’t you dare move out, I couldn’t bear it. I told you before that I’d be lost without my blogger and I meant it. Please don’t think of leaving John.” His voice took on a pleading tone.  
“Oh no, I don’t want to.” John hurriedly reassured him “I just wasn’t sure what you wanted me to do right now. You left in such a hurry earlier, I thought you must be really angry with me.”  
Sherlock looked away at that.  
“I’m sorry John, I shouldn’t have run out on you like that.”  
“Hey no, look at me.” John waited for Sherlock’s gaze to return. “I don’t blame you, I took that kiss too far. I know that and… I’m sorry it’s made things awkward between us.”  
John looked sad and Sherlock felt it was time to put his cards on the table.  
“You enjoyed it.” He stated, maintaining eye contact.  
John’s heart started to race… what should he say?!  
“Earlier…” Sherlock prompted “You said ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it too.’”  
John continued to stare and get lost in those intense blue eyes.  
“Did you enjoy our kiss?” Sherlock pushed.  
John’s mouth opened and shut as if he was going to say something then changed his mind.  
Sherlock put his coffee mug on a pile of books and inched towards the doctor, invading his personal space. “Did you enjoy our kiss?”  
“Um well…” John blushed and stammered “I um… I think you know that I did… you know everything by looking at people.”  
“You didn’t let me finish earlier John. I was talking about the excitement and love I have for my work…”  
“I know, I know…”  
“No you don’t. You don’t know how suddenly my work isn’t the only thing that makes me feel that way. You do John. You… invigorate me and make me feel alive… and that’s never happened to me before.”

Sherlock suddenly appeared more shy and hesitant. “That’s why I left in such a hurry. Your kiss scared me. I wasn’t expecting to have that reaction, and yet there it was. I wanted to kiss you more than I wanted to gather evidence for the case… that’s not normal for me John. I didn’t know what to do.”  
John could not believe what he was hearing or seeing. Suddenly it all seemed so comical, them sitting here having this conversation.  
His face broke out in to a relieved smile and he chuckled softly.

“Just look at us Sherlock. We both discovered something unexpected this evening, both feeling very confused because it’s out of the norm for us. Yet we are having this very serious conversation and I don’t think it’s necessary.”  
Sherlock offered a small smile back “no?”  
“No. We are the best of friends and we’re not going to self-destruct over one kiss.” John stated confidently. “I think the question we should be asking is whether that was our first and last kiss… or whether there will be more.”  
“I would be a crap boyfriend John… you know that. I don’t know what it is to be that close to someone. I’d upset you more often than not.” Sherlock told him seriously.  
“Well I’ve been reliably informed…” John took Sherlock’s hands in his own “…by many girlfriends…” He inched closer to his flatmate’s face “…that I would be an excellent boyfriend to you Sherlock Holmes.”

Sherlock’s pupils dilated and his pulse quickened. “I’m not sure this is a good idea John.” He whispered.  
“Willing to try?” John raised an eyebrow, speaking softly, still very close to Sherlock’s face.  
His friend seemed to think it through for a few seconds before giving a small nod of consent.  
John smiled and leaned in to give Sherlock a careful and loving kiss.  
The detective remained quite still for a while before responding and wrapping his arms around his amazing doctor. John nudged him gently backwards until they were lying side by side on the sofa kissing softly, gently exploring each other’s mouths. He could feel the tension in Sherlock dissipating as they entwined their arms and legs in the most comfortable embrace he’d had in a very long time.  
Sherlock pulled back slightly and regarded his friend by his side. “I think this experiment is going quite nicely… what do you think?”  
John rolled his eyes, of course Sherlock would bring the word ‘experiment’ in to it somewhere.  
“Do you trust me? he asked.  
“With my life.”  
“Then shut up continue with your ‘experiment’.”  
Sherlock smiled and hugged him closely.


End file.
